Leslie Davenport's career began in the late 1970s when she served as a faculty member in dance at various San Francisco Bay Area institutions, including Mills College, California State University, Holy Names College, and the University of San Francisco, from 1978 to 1986.[6]
Transitioning into psychology and integrative health, Davenport became a founding member of the Integrative Medicine Faculty and a psychotherapist at the Institute for Health & Healing/Humanities Program at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) and Marin General Hospital (MGH), a role she held from 1989 to 2014.[7][8][9][10] Since 1992, she has also been employed as a Climate Aware Integrative Psychotherapist, working with clients in both the San Francisco Bay Area and in 2019, expanded to include Washington State.[11]
Davenport's focus on dance evolved from performing arts to exploring the mind-body connection. She taught dance as a form of epistemological inquiry from 1983 to 1986 and again from 1992 to 1993 at the Institute of Culture and Creation Spirituality, founded by theologian Matthew Fox. In 1986, she also taught in the Department of Arts and Consciousness at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California.[12]
From 1994 to 1997, she founded and supervised the Guided Imagery Program at Brookside Hospital and, from 1998 to 2005, continued this work at Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center. From 1995 to 1996, she also served as a Guided Imagery Consultant for Planetree.[13][14]
From 1993 to 1996, she was part of the core faculty for the Transpersonal Psychology Graduate Program at John F. Kennedy University.[15][16] Later, between 2009 and 2021, she contributed as a core faculty member in curriculum development for the Certificate Program in Deep Imagination at the same institution.[17][18]
In the early 1990s, she became increasingly aware of the existential threats posed by climate change. In response to natural disasters, Davenport worked with Marin County Disaster Response Team's Psychological Support Services from 1994 to 1996, providing psychological aid to those displaced by environmental catastrophes.[19] Between 2014 and 2017, Davenport worked on the 350.org Clean Energy Solutions Committee in Marin County, supporting local clean energy initiatives.[20][21] In 2016, her environmental views were further enriched by her involvement with the Pachamama Alliance, which focuses on protecting the environment and supporting indigenous communities.[22][23]
In 2008, Davenport joined the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) as an off-site clinical supervisor, a role she held until 2015. From 2013 to 2023, she was an associate professor in the School of Professional Psychology and Health at CIIS. In 2022, she became the Program and Faculty Lead for the Climate Psychology Certificate Program, where she integrates climate psychology into mental health practices, a position she continues to hold.[24][25][26]
Davenport has authored numerous works that have advanced the field of climate psychology. In 2017, she published Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change: A Clinician’s Guide with Jessica Kingsley Publishers, a foundational text for mental health professionals addressing climate-related distress.[27][28] She also produced training materials with the American Psychological Association (APA), including a professional video titled Working with Clients Experiencing Climate Distress, co-created with Wendy Greenspun.[29][30][31] For younger audiences, she authored All The Feelings Under the Sun and What to Do When Climate Change Scares You, both published by the APA's Magination Press, addressing climate-triggered psychological distress in children.[32][33]
Today, Davenport remains active in clinical practice and public advocacy as a Climate Aware Integrative Psychotherapist, utilizing mindfulness, EMDR, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and guided imagery to help clients foster emotional resilience and healing.[34]
